Posted by There are various forms of public transport in Athens: subways, suburban trains, trams, trolleybuses and regular buses. There are also a very large number of taxis. Greeks take taxis much more often than other Europeans.
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Athens Metro
Image: Michalis Palis – Fotolia.com
The Athens metro consists of just three lines with around 60 stations. The three lines meet at the three most important squares in the city center: Syntagma (lines 2 and 3), Monastiraki (lines 1 and 3) and Omonia (lines 1 and 2). The subways run frequently, every 3-10 minutes depending on the time of day and day of the week. Line 3 goes to the airport, line 1 to the port in Piraeus, line 2 to the central station.
Further lines were planned. A fourth line is currently (2024) under construction.
Tram
The tram of Athens runs from the central Syntagma Square south to the sea. There the tram splits into two lines. Both run along the sea, one to the east, one to the west. The tram takes you to the beaches outside the city. In the other direction the tram ends in Piraeus, but about 2 km from the port. The tram will soon run to the port of Piraeus. At the current terminus you can change to the metro and after one stop on metro line 1 you are at the port of Piraeus. The tram from Athens and Piraeus has been in operation since 2004.
Athens suburban railway
The Athens suburban railway is called Proastiakos in Greek. It connects Piraeus, Athens Central Station and the airport. One line even goes to Kiato in the Peloponnese, about 100 km from Athens. The S-Bahn trains run much less frequently than the metro (every 15-60 minutes), but are much faster because they have far fewer stops.
Trolleybuses and buses
So-called trolleybuses are buses that are powered by an overhead line. These used to be found in many large cities. For the smog-plagued city of Athens, the emission-free trolleybuses are not a bad idea. There are also hundreds of normal bus lines in Athens
Taxis Athens
There are an incredible number of yellow taxis in Athens. In some streets there are more taxis than private cars. Prices are still low, although not quite as cheap as they used to be. Most taxi drivers are honest, but a few are rip-off artists. You should definitely make sure that the taximeter is switched on. One special feature is important: if the taxi is not full, the driver can let other passengers in. If you are not a group, everyone has to pay the full fare. This system helps to reduce costs. Trips to and from the airport and port as well as large luggage cost extra.
In recent years, taxi fares in Athens and other cities in Greece have unfortunately increased. On the other hand, Athenians have become poorer due to the economic crisis. Taxis are now taken much less in Athens than before.
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Athens tickets
For almost all tourists there is actually an ideal ticket in Athens and Piraeus. It is the day ticket for (in January 2023) 4.10 euros. You can buy it at the counter or at the machine. Tickets for longer periods are even cheaper.
They are valid for almost all subways, buses and trams. Single tickets are of course also available in Athens. These cost 1.40 euros on the subway and a little less on trams and buses.
For some time now there has also been a cheap 5-day ticket for just 9 euros (again excluding the airport). This applies to all buses, trolleybuses, trams and subways. Local transport in Athens may not be perfect, but at least it is cheap.
These tickets are not valid for the airport or in zones outside the city. Trips to “Athens International Airport” are unfortunately much more expensive by public transport. A ticket to Athens airport costs 10 euros for one person at the beginning of 2017. The fare for 2 people is 18 euros and for 3 people 24 euros (all prices one way). There is a round-trip ticket to Athens airport for one person for 18 euros. The return journey must be made within a week, however.
The prices on this page are a few years old, but have not increased significantly. Public transport in Athens is cheaper than in Germany –
Strikes in Athens
Unfortunately, public transport in Athens goes on strike very often. It was much worse in the first years of the economic crisis, but even today strikes in the Athens subway, for example, are not exactly rare. Often it is not directly about the wages of employees or anything similar, but about general political issues, usually public savings. Before such new laws are passed in parliament, some unions in Greece call for a general strike. The subway, tram, commuter train and buses in Athens are very often affected by such general strikes. As a rule, strikes last one day or several days in a row. Taxi drivers have also gone on strike. Strikes at the airport or in air traffic also occur.
Before I go to Athens, I always search for “Strikes Athens” or “Strikes Greece” in English on Google News. If you don’t speak English, you can also search in German, but you can find more information in English.
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